Loss Prevention Advice
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Since their introduction, Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) and Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) have rapidly become the primary means of navigation aboard many vessels.
As explained in the “ECDIS – Safety Settings,” briefing, ECDIS offers several advantages over traditional paper charts, one of the most important being its ability to alert navigators when a vessel may be approaching dangerous waters. By using safety settings tailored to the vessel’s condition, ECDIS can provide valuable warnings and support safer navigation.
However, these settings must be properly understood, configured and used to ensure they deliver their full benefit.
Safety contour
This is the primary safety feature on the ECDIS. It is set by the user and marks the boundary between safe water and shallow water.
How does it do this?
Before departing port, the ECDIS user must set a value for the safety contour. This should take into account the vessel’s draught and required under-keel clearance. The quality of the ENC data available must also be considered. The safety contour shows on the ENC as an extra wide isoline.
Users should check their SMS for the procedure on setting the safety contour. If it is not set, the ECDIS default value for the safety contour is 30m.
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Nine people were killed and several others injured after a suspected toxic gas leak inside a ship being dismantled at a shipbreaking yard in Bangladesh on 14 August.
The incident occurred at around 9:00 a.m. local time at a yard in Sitakunda, on the outskirts of the southeastern port city of Chattogram, according to Md Alamgir, an inspector at the local Sitakunda Police Station.
“Two more bodies were found at the yard at around 2:30 p.m. local time after six deaths had already been confirmed there,” he said.
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Below you will find a weekly report dated 19 August 2026, covering the period of 13 to 19 August, where the following incidents were reported:
- 1 maritime security incident in West Africa in the last 7 days
- 6 maritime security incidents in the Indian Ocean/Middle East in the last 7 days
- 2 Somalia-based piracy incidents reported in the last 7 days.
Full advisory at the following link.
https://britanniapandi.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ARC-Weekly-Report-19.08.26.pdf
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Cargo fires and cargo loss remain major safety challenges for the maritime industry. Although vessel design, onboard safety systems and cargo-handling practices have improved, detecting a fire inside a container at an early stage remains difficult.
Fires can develop unnoticed within individual containers before conventional detection systems are able to identify them, potentially allowing an incident to escalate. The consequences can include loss of life, serious vessel damage, pollution, cargo losses and disruption to maritime trade.